Proteas captain Faf du Plessis believes the timing of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) could not be any better as it allows all the national players to “have some fun again”.
It has been a torrid past six months for the national team.
Under former coach Ottis Gibson’s guidance, the Proteas floundered at the World Cup winning just three out of nine matches.
An interim restructure was put in place, with Enoch Nkwe now at the helm, but it did not yield a change a fortune.
There was brief respite with a drawn 1-1 result in the T20I series against India before Virat Kohli’s side put a young Proteas team to the sword in the Tests with a 3-0 cleansweep.
BAD STATE: Coach Mark Boucher. Picture: BackpagePix.
Ex-Proteas wicketkeeper and Tshwane Spartans coach Mark Boucher tells SA Cricket Mag: “We’ve got ourselves into a pretty bad state.
“Hopefully there are some clever heads there to try and turn things around.”
The man in the middle of the “bad state” is national captain Du Plessis, who says the Mzansi Super League (MSL) will be a helpful distraction.
He explains: “It is enjoyable to come home and play some cricket where there is less pressure. This has a different feel to it. It is a lot more relaxed and a lot more fun.
ENJOYABLE: Paarl Rocks' big boss Faf du Plessis. Picture: BackpagePix.
“I think it is very important. People probably don’t understand the burden you carry and when it doesn’t go according the way you would like. It weighs heavily on you.
“We [the Proteas] are a very proud team and we want to win every game we play.
“So, when you go through a tough series like India was, and was always going to be, you feel the burden of that.”
Du Plessis will lead the Paarl Rocks again this season and his first assignment will be on Sunday in what is a mouthwatering Cape derby against Cape Town Blitz.